On Friday, October 3 to Sunday, October 5, USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn. hosted the Mid-South JUCO Showcase. With 30 total teams across the weekend, Prep Baseball Tennessee witnessed JUCO prospects that featured high velocity, crafty breakers, loud contact, all-around athletes and more that can make an impact at the next level.

Soph RHP John Hood (Mineral Area College) - At 6-foot-1, 185 lbs, Hood showed as a projectable right-handed pitcher with a compact delivery and a clean, repeatable arm action. He operates primarily in the 88-91 mph range with his fastball, showing consistent arm-side run and has late movement in the zone. His breaking ball served as a reliable secondary option that can miss bats on command with solid depth and shape.

R-Soph LHP Trace Loeding (National Park College) - The 6-foot-5 lefty overpowered hitters during the weekend with his 89-92 mph fastball. The velocity and arm-side run coming out of a ¾ slot caused hitters to swing and miss often with multiple strikeouts in his appearance. Loeding has a funky delivery and pitches with a lot of intensity on the bump. Paired with his 2-seam, the curveball (72-76 mph) was sharp with late bite, showing the ability to throw it in any count for strikes. With room to add mass, there’s no telling how much more velo he could add to his FB. 

R-Soph RHP Trent Lape (Bossier Parish CC) - The right-hander lit up radar gums this weekend, sitting 94-96 mph and putting himself on the heat sheet by topping out at 98. The lively fastball overpowered hitters and had them swinging under it often. The heater comes out easily from the long-limbed athletic righty with whippy and quick arm- action as well. Flashing a solid off-speed offering, Lape is a power arm with tons of upside and will also be on future draft boards in the near future. 

Soph LHP Tyce Powers (Northwest CC) - A 2021 Future Gamer, Powers looked like a polished professional prospect four years later. 6-foot-3 with longer levers that help create downward tilt to his arsenal, he does a strong job of getting over his front side with late arm speed that hides behind his body well. Showing a true 3-pitch mix he attacked hitters with a 91-93 mph fastball that featured glove-side run. The slider looks plenty capable that tunneled well out of his hand at 81-84 mph with late depth and sweep. Powers’ curveball looks to be effective to right-handed hitters and did flash it occasionally to lefties. Shows a lot of upside with future projection remaining. 

Fr RHP Judson Funderburk (Bossier Parish CC) - With a good 6-foot-1 frame with room to add mass, Funderburk throws from a conventional arm slot and works in a quick rhythm. His fastball had good ride which caused hitters to miss often, however, the change-up was his best pitch over the weekend. Upsetting the hitter's timing consistently and when put in play, the result was always a weak groundball. The freshman’s curveball was also hard to get on plain with as well. It had great depth and he was able to throw it in any count. This is an arm that will definitely be in a starting rotation at a future 4-year school. 

Fr RHP Amaury Cienfuegos (North Central Missouri) - The young righty for NCMC showed great promise in his outing. He has a smaller frame with room to add lean muscle. The fastball was firm at 85-88 mph with arm-side run and showed good command for it and the off-speed pitch. His slider froze hitters often because of its large horizontal break. With more experience the freshman will definitely be a sought after prospect in the future.

Fr RHP Derrin Randle (Northwest Central CC) - Not lacking any excitement or electricity on the bump, Randle may have shown some of the highest upsides in attendance. The body stands out at 6-foot-7 to eightish with downhill ride on his backside down the mound. The lower half is used exceptionally well. While still much of a project and showing some rawness, the arm speed and velocity speak for themselves as he sat 93-95 throughout his outing, while touching a handful of 96’s. The offspeed still needs work and that is OK, but he did show some aptitude for spin on the slider at 86 mph, while sprinkling in a changeup at 87-88 behind in counts. 

Soph OF/RHP Mason Gillentine (Northwest Mississippi CC) - The 6-foot-even and 175 lbs two-way displayed great bat to ball skills all weekend. The 2022 Future Gamer has a smooth stroke and a calm aggression in the box. He homered twice over the weekend and went 4-for-6 against Paris Junior College. He has the ability to spray the ball to the big parts of the field and also displayed consistency to adjust to the breaking ball as well. His power/contact combination will continue to give him success in the future. 

Soph 1B Dylin Walters (Southwest Tennessee CC) - A physical first baseman at 6-foot-5, 230 lbs, Walters’ frame is already above average at the next level. He showed discipline at the dish while also being able to get his A-swing off consistently. He homered to dead center, showing the ability to hit the ball to the big parts of the park. All weekend Walters had great at-bats, keeping the strikeouts to a minimum. A middle-of-the-order type bat who can hit with a combination of power and contact, the Toronto native could definitely be an impact first baseman at a high level 4-year school. 

Soph MIF Jonathan Walsh (Southwest Tennessee CC) - The primary SS made the position look easy, making plays all weekend. At the plate, Walsh caught a multitude of barrels by using quick hands and the ability to get the head to any pitch. His barrel control allows him to hit tough pitches consistently and drive them to the gaps. Walsh is a player that can hit in 1-3 spots and make an impact as his discipline allows him to see pitches and draw walks. This is definitely a player to look out for come spring 2026.